Feline Asthma - Investigation and Treatment

It is quite common for cats to present to veterinary clinics with a chronic cough or wheeze. The problem may be constant or just recur from time to time, and can range from mild to severe. Clinically the disease may resemble human asthma, but the term feline asthma can be misleading as there are a number of different possible causes. Here we look at what those underlying causes can be, and the different forms of treatment available to affected cats.

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The salt therapy is a natural method of therapy and does not involve any risk and is finally adapted to the living space. However, this is NOT a substitute for medical treatment and should only be used as an adjuvant helping to improve the quality of patients' life, reducing the antibiotics and corticoids or steroids intake, reducing the rate of annual hospitalizations and decrease the frequency of respiratory diseases attacks.

2. Remove or avoid airway irritants. The most obvious one is ensuring the cat has no contact with cigarette smoke, and purchasing dust free cat litter.

LTiba WebSite: www.salinetherapy.com +1 / 519.641.SALT NB: The author grants reprint permission to opt-in publications and websites so long as the copyright and by-line are included intact and the article is not used in spam.

About the Author:

Abigail Franks has done extensive research into Asthma,Allergies, and their triggers. You can find out more about Bronchitis causes and cures and Asthma Triggers and Treatments on her Asthma website.

Cats usually present with one or all the following signs: CoughingWheezingDifficulty breathing A minority of cases will have the classic human status asthmaticus, rapid onset breathing difficulty due to severe narrowing of the bronchi. Cats tend to be middle aged or older, and Siamese cats may be more prone than other breeds.

Speleotherapy also makes a great demand on patients' time. The mines are not conveniently located for most people and the total cost is fairly significant.

According to the Mayo Clinic, a well regarded medical facility, bronchitis and the resulting cough can also be caused from stomach acid irritating for food pipe or esophagus. This is better known as acid reflux disease.

Frequently, wheezing sounds develop when the child breathes, caused by the passage of air through mucus-clogged bronchi. Appetite loss and fatigue also are common, but they usually pass after two or three days. The cough itself should subside within seven to ten days.

In the mid 18th Century a Polish health official Felix Botchkowski, noticed that the workers of salt mines did not get ill with lung diseases. He wrote a book about the effects of salt dust in 1843. His successor M. Poljakowski founded a Salt Spa in Velicko near Krakow, which is still in operation. During the Second World War salt mines were often used as bombproof shelters. After spending time there many people who suffered from asthma felt that their health had gotten better! Today there are many salt sanatoriums in Europe (Austria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Russia ').

The physician may prescribe antibiotics if he suspects a secondary bacterial infection. In the case of allergic bronchitis, the physician will treat the allergies directly.

The effectiveness of speleotherapy is not acknowledged in all countries of the world, but in countries like Romania (Praid, Tg.Ocna, Seiged, Sovata, Slanic, Ocna), Poland (Wieliczka), Germany (Teufelsh'hle), Austria (Hallen, Solzbad-Salzeman), Armenia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Hungary, Russia, Slovenia, Ukraine, Nakhichevan mines in Azerbaijan, the salt aerosol plays an important role in the treatment of chronic respiratory diseases, working well with or without medical treatment and without any known side effects. Because of these, pregnant women with asthma or other respiratory diseases could use this therapy without any harm to the child. Very well known and appreciated in these middle-eastern European countries, this therapy is covered by the public health care system. In Romania there are also many salt lakes - Sovata with 7 salt lakes, Ocna Sibiului with 52 salt lakes in S-W of Transilvania, very well known in the treatment of infertility, metabolic diseases, skin diseases. These salt lakes were usually formed by collapsing of salt caves ceilings. All these salt lakes have different salinity, increasing with deepness ' from 9g/l to 320g/l.

Pulmonary edema. Often due to severe heart disease.Infectious bronchitis. This can be due to bacteria, viruses or parasites.Pleural disease. Filling of the space between the lung and the chest wall with air or an effusion.Cancer. This can be a primary lung tumor or metastatic spread.Potassium bromide induced respiratory disease. A side effect from an anti-epileptic drug.Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Responds poorly to treatment.Pulmonary thromboembolus. Lodging of a clot in a respiratory blood vessel causing sudden onset breathing difficulty.Pulmonary hypertension. Usually secondary to other heart or respiratory disease.

Avoid all dairy, & high protein meats, high sugar & fried foods. Tea and Steam are your friends. Mainly you want to clear your throat and lungs, allow yourself to practice smooth breathing. So, various Teas like Chammomiles with a little honey and lemon (not sugar or milk, those will gum things up). Also, warm bath, just breathe in the steam. Do this daily. In the meantime, take it easy, rest a lot. You're at a vulnerable stage and need to take care of yourself.

3. Bronchoscopy Bronchoscopy allows visualization of the larger airways, and assessment for increased mucus and inflammation. 4. Tracheal wash This involves injecting a small amount of saline into the trachea and immediately withdrawing it, and then examining the cells and debris harvested under a microscope.

This salt therapy being very well known for its beneficial effects, a Romanian inventor put his mind at work and developed a device that is able to reproduce a speleotherapy micro environment in your home in an affordable and convenient way. Internationally recognized, with Gold and Silver medal at 'Salon International des Inventions', Geneva and 'World Exhibition of Innovation, Research and New Technology', Brussels, this Romanian invention brings new hopes in the natural treatment of chronic respiratory diseases.

Exposure to chemical fumes and odors may compromise an otherwise healthy respiratory system. This in turn can lead to sensitivity to other environmental factors like dust, but also both primary and secondary tobacco smoke. While the validity of the effects of secondhand smoke are continue to be debated, it has been shown to be an important breathing factor for those with a compromised respiratory system. All of these factors can contribute to the chronic cough experienced by many asthma, allergy and bronchitis sufferers.

The Differentials There are a large number of possible diagnoses when a cat first presents with coughing or breathing difficulty. Here are some of the more important ones:

A chronic cough, wheezing, breathing difficulties and a tight chest have also been associated with the common smoker's cough. This is unfortunate as there are many environmental factors that can contribute to an infection and caused these types of symptoms.

Glucocorticoid drugs (steroids) used in inhalers include Beclometasone, Fluticasone and Budesonide. Beclometasone is cheap, but is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream when you want it to hang around in the area where it applied. Fluticasone is more expensive, but tends to stay where you want it to. Budesonide is relatively inexpensive and though it is easily absorbed into the bloodstream, it tends to be removed the first time it goes through the liver.

The salt therapy was found to have beneficial effects in the treatment of: 'Asthma and Chronic Bronchitis 'COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) 'Allergic Rhinopathy or Hay Fever 'Cystic Fibrosis 'Sinusitis 'Ear Infections 'Smoking Cough 'Various acute or chronic respiratory disease 'Reduce snoring and activates better sleep by clearing the airway passages in oropharyngeal region 'Increased resistance to Cold & Flu by opening and clearing the nasal airway and improving the drainage of the sinuses 'Humidifies the bronchial secretions reducing broncho-spasm and facilitating elimination of the smoke residual tar, phlegm expel and other allergens 'Improves the quality of the indoor air by eliminating the dust, cigarette smoke, bad odours, mould and mites, having bactericide reduction properties.

The inventor thought this device as an air salinizer that uses forced ionization of the indoor air by salt sublimation creating a micro climate of dry aerosol salt therapy in your living space. He used a natural process of salt crystallization to obtain salt micro crystals under 5'm in diameter, invisible to human eyes, being able to penetrate deep into the lung. The device uses only natural salt from within the mountain of salt, untreated or touched by the human processing technology.

Golden seal and echanacia are used for upper respiratory and immune system. These are used to protect you and build yourself up, not to treat an infection. If you have no infection but have mucous and other symptoms, you can use guafinisian to help break up the mucous.

The Pathology Little is known about the underlying causes or exacerbating factors in feline asthma. There may be an element of genetic predisposition. While chronic inhalation of airway irritants, such as smoking, has been shown to cause bronchitis in humans, this has not been studied in detail in cats. Likewise, allergens such as pollen, housedust mites, dander, fungal spores, dust and cat litter could all be implicated theoretically.

Diagnosis 1. Clinical examination The first step in the diagnostic protocol is a thorough clinical examination by a veterinarian. This should localize the origin of the disease to the upper airways, lower airways or pleural space. If the cat is found to have pleural disease, a needle may be inserted straight away to remove either air or a sample of the effusion for both diagnosis and short term treatment of the respiratory distress.

Bronchitis usually occurs following a viral respiratory infection or with prolonged cigarette smoking. Symptoms can include coughing, shortness of breath, wheezing and fatigue. Acute bronchitis is usually caused by viruses or bacteria and may last several days or weeks. Having recurrent (frequent) bronchitis in the age of 13 is not normal and you need a specialist consultation because it has potentially serious effects.

"When I had bronchitis, I couldn't stop coughing and was unable to sleep, Bronovil helped me to get my life back. thank you!" Michael A., OH

Anything chronic is considered to be a persistent, recurrent and lasting condition. While chronic bronchitis has often been associated with allergies and/or asthma, there are many other causes that can trigger a bronchial infection. Asthma as we know is a lung disease that is characterized by asthmatic events triggered by a variety of factors which cause a constriction of the bronchial tubes and air passages.

Based on clinical studies, the inhaled saline has bactericide, mucokinetic, hydrophilic, anti inflammatory properties, reducing inflammation in the whole respiratory tract, absorbing edema from the mucosa lining the airway passages leading to widening of the airway passages, restoring the normal transport of mucus and unclog blockages in the bronchi and bronchioles leading to rapid elimination of the residual tar and foreign allergens, all of these in a natural process. Edema of the nasal mucosa and the oropharynx and soft palate, causing nasal obstruction and snoring is diminished, leading to widening of the airway passage in the nose and the tubes of the sinuses and improving the sinuses drainage and reducing snoring. In the auditory tube, edema of the Eustachian tube causing ear infection, is also diminished, leading to widening of the airway passages, better drainage and better aeration behind the tympanic membrane.

Respiratory diseases are a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Most drug therapies of respiratory diseases have only palliative effects, and many have significant side effects, especially those with corticoids or steroids. So, a physical therapy like Halotherapy is greatly needed.

Bronchodilator drugs used in inhalers include Salbutamol and Salmeterol. Salbutamol is very fast acting and therefore useful in a crisis caused by spasm of the bronchi. However, it only lasts for about 30 minutes and is therefore unsuitable for chronic therapy as frequent dosing is required. Salmeterol on the other hand is longer acting, and lasts for about 12 hours so twice daily dosing is possible. Salmeterol is better for long term control of mild to moderate asthma while Salbutamol is better for relief of acute bronchospasm.

To return to the comparison with human asthma, when trying to understand the underlying causes it is important to differentiate between asthma (constriction of the bronchi), chronic bronchitis (oversecretion of mucus with a chronic cough) and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Asthma is reversible bronchial constriction caused by eosinophil cells, whereas COPD is irreversible bronchial constriction involving neutrophil cells.

Aerosol therapy has the advantage that the maximum concentration of drug is delivered to the target site. This means that lower overall doses can be used, and the cat is less likely to suffer the negative side effects of steroids. Various inhalers can be used in both cats and dogs, but they tend to be designed for humans. As a result, higher doses are given compared with human medicine, as humans can be instructed to breathe deeply whereas cats will breathe normally at best.

Spacer devices A spacer device consists of a chamber into which the aerosol drug is released at one end, with a mask at the other end which fits snugly over the cats mouth and nose. Human baby spacer devices (e.g. Babyhaler) can be easily adapted for cats. Alternatively, veterinary spacers specifically designed for cats are now on the market (e.g. Aerokat). The spacer should be held over the cats nose and mouth for about 30 seconds to ensure complete delivery of the drugs. It should be remembered that aerosol steroid therapy can take up to 2 weeks to reach full effect, and if the cat has been on oral steroids previously, these should be phased out slowly during these initial 2 weeks.

acute bronchitis When you have bronchitis, the start making mucus in overtime, and it starts clogging your breathing passages, which is why you find it hard to breathe. You'll want to stay away from anything dairy because it can add to the mucus. Drink lots of water, and add some Tabasco to some soups to help kill the bacteria. You'll also be hacking a lot of thick green and yellow mucus, don't worry, you need to do that to get it out of your system and body.

The Halotherapy belongs to the category of the physical therapies non-drug and non invasive treatments of diseases. In the former Soviet Union, medical researchers engaged in a concerted effort to develop physical therapies in order to avoid the costs and side effects of drug therapy as well as microbial and tumour resistance. Russia has become the world leader in developing and testing new and increasingly effective physical therapies. Many of the clinical trials have focused on Halotherapy as a treatment of asthma and chronic bronchitis and also very effective as a main or adjuvant therapy across the entire range of upper and lower respiratory tract diseases.

Rachel Broune writes articles for Bronchitis Home Remedies . He also writes for Bronchitis Remedies and Herbs

3. Removal or avoidance of potential allergens. House dust mite allergy must be excluded by spraying the house with an acaricidal product. 4. Chronic therapy for the underlying condition. For long term treatment of cats with feline asthma, a combination of steroids and bronchodilators are a popular choice. Steroids reduce the inflammation and lower mucus production, and can limit long term consequences such as fibrosis. Bronchodilators are most useful when there is airway spasm. Traditionally, medication has been given orally via tablets, but over the last few years, metered dose inhalers such as the ones used for human asthma have come on the market.

The benefits of salt therapy (also called Halotherapy) or speleotherapy are well known and documented in Europe. Halotherapy uses dry aerosol micro particles of salt and minerals to treat respiratory diseases and seeks to replicate the conditions of speleotherapy (from Greek speleos=cave), a treatment that has been practiced in old salt mines of Eastern Europe since the early 19th century.

As it's recognized that dust is almost everywhere, it's important to try to limit exposure as much as possible. This sensitivity of the person with chronic bronchitis will determine the level of action that's needed to limit dust exposure. Someone who is extremely sensitive may need special air cleaning equipment installed in their home. While another who's sensitivity is not as pronounced may be able to live comfortably in a home simply on a regular cleaning schedule. Check out the link below for free report on tips to eliminate asthmatic and bronchial cough triggers in your home.

Treatment The aims of treatment are as follows. 1. Eliminate any suspected infectious agents. This may be a sufficiently long course of antibiotics if bacterial infection is suspected, or a wormer such as fenbendazole if lungworm is suspected.

For more information, clinical studies and testimonials you can visit the web site. The salt therapy device could also be available in some health stores.

Bronchitis is an inflammation of the bronchi (lung airways), resulting in persistent cough that produces consideration quantities of sputum (phlegm). Bronchitis is more common in smokers and in areas with high atmospheric pollution. Chronic bronchitis is a disease in which there is diffused inflammation of the air passages in the lungs, leading to decreased uptake of oxygen by the lungs and increased mucus production.

Is treatment lifelong? Generally yes. Doses can often be reduced gradually once clinical remission has been achieved. As with many chronic conditions, complete control might not always be possible and an acceptable quality of life is the main aim of the treatment.

Dr Matthew Homfray is one of the veterinary pet experts at http://www.WhyDoesMyPet.com. Our dedicated community of caring pet experts are waiting to offer you advice, second opinions and support.

5. Bronchoalveolar lavage This is similar to the technique described above, but the catheter is inserted all the way into a lower airway before the saline is injected and withdrawn. This is therefore a good test for lower airway disease.

6. Lung biopsy This is an invasive procedure that carries a significant risk to the patient. It is only indicated where diffuse cancer or extensive fibrosis is suspected, or in severe disease that responds poorly to treatment.

The Seretide Evohaler is useful for cats requiring both steroid and bronchodilator therapy. It contains salbutamol and fluticasone, a combination allowing minimal dosing frequency.

One such environmental factor is dust. While dust is a common substance found everywhere, it's especially problematic for those of us who may have a compromised respiratory system. A less than ideal breathing tract is found in people suffering with asthma, many allergies and yes even smokers. What's been ignored in many cases however, is that exposure to chemicals can cause a sensitivity to environmental factors such as dust.

Acid reflux can now be successfully treated with many medications. If you think that someone you know may be suffering from a chronic cough caused by bronchitis or possibly asthma, it's important to understand the lifestyle implications this may involve. The primary focus however, should be to get an accurate diagnosis from a qualified respiratory or pulmonary medical professional.

2. Radiography The next test performed is usually thoracic radiography. This is best performed under general anesthetic so there is lee chance for motion blur, though in acute situations this is not possible. This is where the most meaningful information can be gained.

About the author:Educated and motivated person, having a multicultural backgroundwith extensive knowledge about European health products andpractices.

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